CaribWorldNews, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mon. Mar. 23, 2009: In a country descendants of slaves and indentured servants call home, the chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission wants a stronger effort by nationals to eradicate racial discrimination.

Bishop Juan Edghill of the ERC on Friday called on Guyanese to pledge to strengthen efforts to end racism and to recognize the legitimate right of every human being to live in peace, equality and dignity. His comments came as the world observed International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Guyanese largely see themselves as Indo or Afro, the two ethnic groups that predominate in the country of less than a million people. Many still vote along racial lines and there is still intolerance of inter-racial marriages and children of those unions by many of the older members of the society.

Guyana is a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and became a party under the Convention to “condemn racial discrimination and undertake to pursue a policy of eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and promoting understanding among races.”